Collaboration between parents and architects led to the design principles for this Toronto K-5 elementary school: User-generated architecture from Taylor Smyth Architects.

This replacement school for 500 children, ranging from kindergarten through 5th grade, is located in a parklike setting on an eight-acre site, surrounded by single-family residences. A garden courtyard is the focal point around which the building is organized, designed to enrich the students’ appreciation of the natural environment. A design team, comprising architects, teachers, parents, and area residents participated in a collaborative process of bi-weekly meetings to develop a list of Key Ideas and Principles, which were translated by the architectural team into the physical organization of the school.

For more details and images of the Glen Park Public School, visit ARCHITECT's Project Gallery.